I see that Hilltop batteries are now carrying the MEC powertubes. I'm interested to hear if anyone is using these and what their experience has been. I like the maintenance aspects of the tubes vs bars and shrink wrap but have always been concerned over the robustness and unsure of the ability to deliver high current. Appreciate any info folks can share.
MEC Power Tubes
- Thread starter Spuds
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Had the same question about 4 years back, and purchased a few of the tubes for testing. I assembled two 6 cell packs of RC2400's using the tubes and cycled them on a Victor IQ. The internal resistance numbers were in the 60 to 65 milliohm range on both packs (IR #'s on the Victor do not relate to CE #'s). Then disassembled the tube packs and assembled the same cells in side-by-side packs with soldered bars, then cycled them again. The soldered packs showed a dramatic decrease in the IR's to about 40 to 45 milliohms. Bottom line is the tubes are most likely OK for most applications, but may not be the best assembly method where maximum voltage and current are needed.
Thanks for the info the the tubes ... sounds like they add to much resistance to the pack to be good for sprint ... of course they could have made improvemetns over time so I'm very interested to know the outcome of the testing Steve is having done. Keep us posted!
drobie
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- Mar 11, 2003
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Maybe there has been improvement:
Introducing the Mark V Solderless Power Tube!
We have taken the best parts of the Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III units and put together the new Mark V. The end caps have been redesigned to a more compact and lighter shape. Special pockets have been molded in the end caps allowing spoke nipples to be completely buried in place. See the SPT Diagram for a better view of this part. New, more compact, and lower resistance gold-plated copper contacts have been developed to go with the new top and bottom caps. A non-corroding gold-plated copper bar has replaced the silver-plated bar.
Introducing the Mark V Solderless Power Tube!
We have taken the best parts of the Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III units and put together the new Mark V. The end caps have been redesigned to a more compact and lighter shape. Special pockets have been molded in the end caps allowing spoke nipples to be completely buried in place. See the SPT Diagram for a better view of this part. New, more compact, and lower resistance gold-plated copper contacts have been developed to go with the new top and bottom caps. A non-corroding gold-plated copper bar has replaced the silver-plated bar.
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